Jean Epstein – Le Tempestaire

Filmmaker Jean Epstein began his career in the 1920s, working in the genre of the avant-garde. His works were heavily influenced by Abel Gance, and would in turn influence the next generation of filmmakers including Luis Bunuel. However, it is in this film, Le Tempestaire (1947) that Epstein branches out into narrative film with a minimalism inclined toward naturalism. This film marks one of the earliest known “realist” films. It was films of this genre that would heavily inform the films of Eric Rohmer and Louis Malle.